Ratings

The Brazilian Classind rating system, ruled by the Ministry of Justice, aims to provide guidance to parents on the suitability of audiovisual content for children and adolescents. It does not have the power to ban or censor content, and government officials often reinforce that the suitability of the content for minors is a parental decision, not a governmental one.

You can check the English guide here.

Nevertheless, in the past politicians pushed bans on some games. Note that in the Bazilian context, "banned" means the game cannot be sold in the country, but they are not entirely censored — owners can still own copies and play. 

From the banned list, very few remain banned today. Most bans were reverted as were considered unlawful censorship, and the ones that were not reverted were either because the ban was inconsequential (e.g. the original Carmaggedon is still banned, but it was discontinued; the newest mobile version is allowed) or to reasons unrelated to gameplay, like copyright and licensing issues, e;g. Grand Theft Auto: The Ballad of Gay Tony.

Games in 38 European countries use the PEGI ratings system (link here), which was made in cooperation with the Interactive Software Federation of Europe. 

The PEGI system indicates suitable age ranges for games and is considered the industry standard, being used by companies like Microsoft and Nintendo. It does not rate game difficulty but rather the appropriateness of the content itself. Categories of content that affect rating include bad language, discrimination, drugs, gambling, in-game purchases, and more. 

Indonesia uses the Indonesian Game Rating System (IGRS), an official video game content rating system founded and set by the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics in 2016. The IGRS rates games that are developed and/or published in Indonesia. It has 5 classifications of ratings based on the game's content, which includes the use of alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, violence, blood/gore, language, sexual content, gambling mechanics (which can apply to loot boxes), and more. 

Here are the classifications:

• SU ("Semua Umur", All Ages in English) – Recommended for all age groups. Equivalent to EC and E.

• 3+ – Recommended for persons aged 3 and over. No restricted content is shown including adult content, use of drugs, gambling simulation, and online interactions. Equivalent to EC and E.

• 7+ – Recommended for persons aged 7 and over. No restricted content is shown including adult content, use of drugs, gambling simulation, and online interactions. Equivalent to E10+.

• 13+ – Recommended for persons aged 13 and over. Restricted contents are partially shown, including light use of drugs and alcohol by figures/background characters, cartoon violence, mild language, gambling simulation, horror themes, and online interactions. Equivalent to T.

• 18+ – Recommended for persons aged 18 and over. Restricted contents are mostly shown, but not all, including the use of drugs and alcohol by main characters, realistic violence (blood, gore, mutilation, etc.), crude humor, gambling simulation, horror themes, and online interactions. Equivalent to M and AO.

As of November 2019, various imported PlayStation titles released have since been rated by the IGRS after SIE Asia opened their Indonesian office. Those titles are also marked as "Official Indonesia Products" (Indonesian: Produk Resmi Indonesia). 

While console games abide by the Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) guidelines (link here), mobile games in Japan must adhere to the ratings systems on Google Play or the App Store.

Google Play uses the International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) guidelines for Japan. (More info here).

• 3+ Suitable for all age groups. Some violence in comical or fantasy situations is permitted, but inappropriate language is not.

• 7+ It may contain scenes or sounds that may be frightening to children. Mild violence (suggested or unrealistic) is permitted.

• 12+ Violence involving fictional characters, non-graphic violence involving human-looking characters or animals, non-graphic nudity, mild inappropriate language, and simulated gambling are permitted, but sexual Abusive language is not allowed.

• 16+ Graphic depictions of violence, sexual acts, rough language, tobacco and drug use, and criminal activity are permitted.

• 18+ Highly realistic depictions of unmotivated violence or violence against defenseless characters, as well as sexual violence, are permitted. They may also contain highly graphic sexual content, acts of discrimination, and scenes that glorify illegal drug use.

The App Store guidelines are listed here. Notably, if content is considered "simulated gambling," it will be labeled as unsuitable for players under 17. See Loot Box Legislation for more.

The General Guidelines of the Mexican System of Equivalences of Video Game Content Classification is a simile of the labeling system of the ESRB (Entertainment Software Rating Board) in the United States, but with symbols that go according to what the local public is used to seeing.

It is important to emphasize the fact that the Diario Oficial de la Federación (Official Gazette of the Federation), where the guidelines were first published, stipulates that sellers who do not comply with these requirements must pay fines ranging from 3,000 to 30,000 days of minimum wage. 

You can check the details here.

Games in the US and Canada follow the ESBR rating system (link here) which is industry standard in several regions. It is largely self-regulated but is officially recognized and adapted nationwide.

A major reason for the ratings system is because of ongoing debates about violence in video games. In 2011, the United States Supreme Court declared games could not be censored but that they had to be clearly labeled and disclose whether or not they had explicit content. 

According to the Federal Trade Commission, it can be punishable by law if advertisements are deceptive or misleading, and this applies to ratings and which age group the game is being marketed toward. Ads geared toward children are particularly scrutinized. Check the source to see more.